newyorktimes.com | Article Link | by Allan Kozinn

Judith Weir, a composer best known for her operas – among them, “A Night at the Chinese Opera,” “The Vanishing Bridegroom” and “Blond Eckbert” – has been appointed Master of the Queen’s Music, an honorary position roughly equivalent to that of Poet Laureate. Queen Elizabeth II was expected to receive Ms. Weir on Tuesday, when her 10-year appointment officially begins, the BBC reported.

Ms. Weir, 60, is the first woman to hold the position. She will have no fixed duties, but may be called upon to compose works for state occasions. Her predecessors include a formidable list of British composers including Edward Elgar, Arnold Bax, Arthur Bliss and Peter Maxwell Davies.

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